The Environmental Protection Agency Office for Water awarded a $290,000 cooperative agreement to The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc. from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023 under the National Wetland Program Development Grants and Five-Star Restoration Training Grant (CFDA 66.462) program. The purpose of this award is to increase the capacity of tribes to protect, restore, and mitigate impacts to tribal wetlands by providing training on innovative tools, wetland science, grant...
The University of Montana has been awarded a $152,247 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Wetland Program Development Grants and Five-Star Restoration Training Grant program (CFDA 66.462) to enhance the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) mapping and functionality for the western United States. The project will: 1) Update the codes for Landscape Position, Landform, Water Flow Path, and Waterbody Type (LLWW) to include riparian classifications for inland...
This federal Cooperative Agreement award, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program, provides $631,256 to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to further develop and validate the New Mexico Rapid Assessment Methods (NMRAM) for sub-alpine riverine wetlands in northern New Mexico. The 4-year project aims to increase knowledge and understanding of these high-elevation wetland subclasses, develop...
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) was awarded a $114,535 Cooperative Agreement under the EPA's National Wetland Program Development Grants and Five-Star Restoration Training Grant program (CFDA 66.462). The project aims to develop the capacity of state and tribal wetland programs to address climate change in wetland mitigation and restoration efforts. Key activities include: 1) Assembling an advisory committee to provide guidance on identifying, avoiding, and adapting to climate change...
The State of New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of Forests & Lands was awarded a $269,226 Cooperative Agreement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program. The primary objectives of this 20-month project are to: 1) Develop and test a Rapid Floristic Quality Assessment (RFQA) method across New Hampshire's wetland systems, 2) Use the new data to refine FQA reference thresholds...
This $667,121 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program supports the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in carrying out several key activities to develop and enhance the state's comprehensive wetlands program. The funded activities include: 1) creating narrative wetland standards and designated uses for specific wetland types, and participating in a state permitting...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $291,190 Cooperative Agreement under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The funding will support the development of a Wetland Program Plan for Wisconsin that evaluates all four EPA-identified core elements. The plan will assess the status of the state's wetland programs and create a strategic plan to prioritize next steps over the next 5 years, with...
This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program provides $405,294 in funding to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The purpose of the award is to conduct research to protect and manage wetlands under new state regulations and address a critical gap in the New York State wetland condition assessment. The key activities to be performed include: 1) Evaluating the...
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) was awarded a $110,627 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the National Wetland Program Development Grants and Five-Star Restoration Training Grant program (CFDA 66.462). The goal of this 2-year project is to engage with state and tribal wetland programs to identify best practices and case studies that demonstrate how to integrate environmental justice principles and community priorities into wetland restoration...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $512,500 Cooperative Agreement under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The grant funds will support a multi-pronged approach to inform and connect Nebraskans to the state's wetland resources and the important services they provide. Key activities include creating three new educational videos for grades 6-12 students, developing accompanying lesson plans,...
The National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) was awarded a $285,743 Cooperative Agreement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water under the National Wetland Program Development Grants program (CFDA 66.462). The primary objective of this 2-year project is to increase awareness and understanding of diverse approaches to managing state wetland programs, including considerations for climate change and environmental justice.
Key activities and deliverables include:
Updating NAWM's Wetland Program Plans Handbook and 50-state Wetland Program Summaries to reflect new federal regulations and advances in wetland programs
Documenting information on topics such as 404(g) status, implementation of Clean Water Act rules, wetland-stream integration, and environmental justice considerations
Conducting a comparative analysis and developing a formal status and trends report on state wetland programs
Delivering two national webinars to share project findings
Providing travel scholarships to states for coordination meetings
The intended beneficiaries are state and tribal wetland program managers, with the goal of improving wetland protection, restoration, and management methods nationwide.